Hide an' Seek
by Marzi
Summary: He could find anyone as a child, but she was proving difficult. Games Series
1. Chapter 1

A/N Waddya know.. an early chapter. This story is longer than the Drinking one, so it's actually going to still end on Friday. I have to say, this one isn't as humorous as the other one, but it has it's moments. It sorta just focuses on what Sweeney's thinking about doing these types of things with Mrs. Lovett. Reviews respected an' all that.. Enjoy!

FYI.. if you haven't read Drinking Game, I suggest you do so. Not that you can't understand what's happening in this one without it, but they'll be little references.

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1

"Did you ever play games when you were little Mr. T?"

The barber scowled through his shop window, not facing Mrs. Lovett. Technically Sweeney did not have a childhood, which meant she was asking about Benjamin's life. The reason they were in his shop over hers was because he had refused to come down, because of said previous barber. Her comment was not appreciated.

Through gritted teeth, he growled out, "yes."

"What were they?"

He frowned suddenly, trying to recall the old memories. Not that he really wanted to. "We'd hide in the woods near the house, and someone would come looking for us."

Mrs. Lovett smiled at his back, glad he was speaking to her. She had been worried after supper with Toby, when Mr. Todd hadn't even come down with his laundry. "I used to play that with me sisters."

Sweeney turned suddenly, and stared at her. His face asked the question he didn't vocalize.

She laughed at his look. "Not really sisters, but I liked to think of them as such."

So she didn't have sisters, as he thought. Actually, Mr. Todd was fairly certain she didn't have any siblings. Or any living relatives for that matter.

Before he could turn back to his window, she asked another question. "When was the last time you played?"

"Why do you care?" He snapped, annoyed at being asked such foolish questions.

"Jus' wonderin' if ya still remember the rules."

"There really aren't any." Sweeney narrowed his eyes at the look on her face. "Whoever gets found first has to look for the others next time."

Mrs. Lovett nodded her head, she already knew this. She took a step towards him. "Want to play?"

"No." He said flatly, turning back around to face his window.

"Mr. T," she sighed. "Ya need to get yer mind off things, why not an old game?"

_Because it most certainly wont take my mind off of 'it'._ "No." He repeated.

"Please Sweeney?" Mrs. Lovett had stepped up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders, face close to his ear.

An unidentifiably sensation swept through him, starting at where her breath tickled his skin. He scowled, and was about to inform her 'no' once more, but nothing came out. "Where would we play?" He asked instead.

Sweeney could _feel_ her smile. "Jus' 'round the shops."

"And who, my pet," he slowly turned back around to face her. "Is going to do the hiding?"


	2. Chapter 2

2

Mrs. Lovett had been waiting for that question, and had to conceal her cat in the cream grin as she heard it. "Why, me o' course."

Sweeney raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I'll have you know no one could ever hide from me."

"That was a while ago Mr. T, things change."

_Sometimes for the worse,_ he thought bitterly. "Alright luv, you can hide, but when I find you…"

She put her hands on her hips, waiting for his statement to conclude.

He leaned forward, though there was minimal distance between them already. "You'll be surprised." A wicked grin spread across his face.

"I'll try not to scream." Mrs. Lovett mumbled, resisting the urge to kiss him.

"I'll make sure you don't." She didn't much like the sound of his promise. "Out."

"Wha-"

"I'm going to start counting, unless you want to make this easier."

Pulling herself together, Mrs. Lovett forced herself away from him and headed for the door. "I can guarantee, it won' be _that_ easy."

As the little shop bell chimed at her departure, Sweeney waited. He could hear her feet on the stairs, and was only going to start counting once he was sure he couldn't hear her. It was true, he always found who he was looking for, and no one stayed hidden for long.

"Not even if you hide in your own shop, Mrs. Lovett." He said to himself, as it seemed that was what she was doing.

Taking a razor from its holster at his side, he slowly began to count.

_One, two, three…_

Sweeney did intend to frighten Mrs. Lovett when he found her. It was her own fault, really, for making him play such a silly game.

_Four, five, six…_

He flicked the blade open, and smiled as the silver reflected the moonlight. His friend could give her such a fright.

_Seven, eight, nine… _

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_A/N_ Oh dearie me.. is Sweeney planning on _hurting_ his baker?_  
_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N I'm not to familiar with the layout of Mrs. Lovett home and shop, so forgive me if I make things a little vague. I also don't have any familiarity with English underwear. ;)

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3

_Sixty._ Sweeney concluded, reaching for the door of his shop. The bell's small chime seemed amplified in the night, making him frown. It was very late, no doubt Mrs. Lovett knew that when she started. He, however, was a little oblivious to the time, as day and night seemed to make little difference to the world. Sweeney could only feel slightly surprised at how calm everything looked. Because of her sudden increase in popularity, Mrs. Lovett's shop was hardly ever empty.

Now that it stood closed, he couldn't help but be surprised at how small it looked without its occupants. Surely, the building couldn't have been that small when he first arrived?

Shaking his head, he silently trod down the stairs. As far as he could tell, Mrs. Lovett had headed for her shop, which meant that was were he was going to find her.

_The sooner the better my pet,_ Sweeney thought, pushing the pie emporium's door open. The night could end once he found her.

Everything was put away neatly, from what he could tell. There was no light other than the moon, so the room was dimmer than usual. He closed the door slowly, hoping to keep her unapprised of his arrival. The lingering scent of flour and meat almost made him sneeze.

There was a gin bottle on the counter, which he ignored as he circled the room. A hand grasped the razor at his side, already annoyed with how long his hunt was taking. Leaving the kitchen, Sweeney frowned as he entered the parlor. The dieing embers of a fire cast a small amount of light, illuminating the sleeping form of Toby.

Would she hide where the boy was sleeping, or avoid it to not to disturb him?

He peered down at the child, noticing a gin bottle clutched in his hand. Why was there a bottle on the counter in the kitchen if it wasn't Toby's?

Scowling, Sweeney turned and headed back for the kitchen. The bottle was still there, looking undisturbed. Had she put it out? Why was it out the first place?

_Don't get distracted,_ he snapped to himself.

Creeping back through the parlor, he headed for her room, wondering if she would be foolish enough to try and hide in there. For a moment his scowl gave way to a smirk. If she was already there…

Opening the door, Sweeney found himself disappointed. From what he could tell the room was empty, but he took a few cautious steps inside, just to make sure. The room was small, and had a crowded feeling, with the bed, the dresser and the bookshelf all crammed together. Whenever he was in her room he hardly noticed though.

Stopping by the bed, he trailed his hand along the comforter. His fingers brushed against something, and he paused, squinting in the dark to see what it was.

Mrs. Lovett's dress.

Sweeney stared at it, confused. Why had she taken it off? Was she running around _naked?_

Despite the late hour he found that highly unlikely. She probably just realized how much easier it would have been to find her with it on. What with all the rustling and dragging across the shop floor. No doubt she was still wearing her slip. Though undoubtedly she would still be cold.

He fond himself feeling oddly disappointed.

"Where are you my pet?" Sweeney growled to himself, fingers plucking at the fabric of the discarded dress.


	4. Chapter 4

4

Because of how noisy the door was, Sweeney avoided the cellar. It wouldn't make sense to look down there at all. But as he continued to circle the shop and home, he began to think she was breaking the rules. She had said they were going to play around the shops, surely she meant inside?

_Why would she run 'round outside without a dress on?_

Once more in the kitchen, Sweeney wondered how she was still hiding from him. Had she snuck up to his shop? Surely he would have heard her on the stairs? One hand tapped against the counter, and the other held his razor.

His scowl was back, and he was tempted to just go upstairs and go to sleep. But that would mean he would lose the game, and he couldn't have that. Especially not after telling her he could find anyone. His hand grabbed the shot glass and the gin was halfway to his lips before he realized what it was.

When had it been set out? Was she taunting him?

He nearly slammed the glass back down, eyes darting around the room. The sound of a soft giggle reached his ears.

Of course it was her.

Begrudgingly, he took a sip from the drink before investigating the sound. Had she given herself away? Did he finally have her?

Smirking, he placed one hand on his razor, just in case.

"Mrs. Lovett?" He purred out into the hallway.

A flicker of movement caught his eyes, and he turned towards it quickly. He hurried after it, winding up in the parlor. All he discovered was that Toby had started to snore. The low wheezy sound made him angrier than he already was. He stomped back into the kitchen, caring little about the noise he made.

The shot glass was empty.

She_was_ taunting him! The nerve of that woman. She couldn't have gotten too far away…

Sweeney hesitated, then allowed a smirk to crawl onto his face. Silencing his steps once more, he moved to the counter and ducked down. She wouldn't notice him when she just walked into the room, and she would no doubt return to fill the glass.

He had her!

The floor was cold, and surprised Sweeney by being remarkably flour-y. Didn't she sweep the place every day? Frowning at his powder covered hands, he almost didn't hear the footsteps. His body tensed, and he nearly jumped up, just to frighten her.

He could hear her breathing, and the soft clink of glass as she removed the cap from the gin bottle.

Slowly, still keeping himself low to the ground, Sweeney moved around the edge of counter. He could see the edge of her white slip, and the barely noticeable outlines of her bare feet on the floor.

There was a small splash of liquid as Mrs. Lovett refilled the glass. He eased his razor from its holster.

"Slow, Mr. T. Slow."

Shock coursed through him, she knew he was there?

She didn't move. _Just talkin' to herself._ He could have sighed with relief. Sweeney wanted to surprised her.

Mrs. Lovett sighed for him, and turned towards the hallway.

Jumping up, Sweeney wrapped an arm around her waist and brought the razor to her neck with the other. "Surprised, pet?" He had felt her body tense and jump with shock.

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A/N Sorry it seems a bit rushed.. but some other things happen after this that need a little break 'tween 'em. Ya.. she wasn't hiding, but I thought her making fun of him would be.. well, more fun. 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Only one more chapter after this I'm afraid..

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5

"A little." Mrs. Lovett sounded breathless, as if she had just been running.

Sweeney smiled, keeping the razor's blade pressed against her skin. "Why do you insist on playing foolish games with me?" The arm around her waist tightened.

"Why do ya want to know?" Her hands gently rested on the arm around her middle.

The sudden _familiarity _she had around his threat was annoying, yet why did he want to know? Simple curiosity, or did he think there was some grand scheme behind it? "Did you intend to do more than try and distract me from my… troubles?"

"I wanted to distract myself." A shy hand came up to touch the razor.

His brow furrowed. Distract herself? From what? What did she have to battle with everyday?

Through the slip he could feel her body quivering, though he didn't know if it was because she was cold, glad to be so close to him, or mildly scared for her half-threatened life. He lowered his razor and halfheartedly put it back in its place at his side.

"Why did you do that Mr. T?" She whispered.

"Would you rather I didn't?"

"No."

Moving his other hand down to her waist, he spun her around to face him. She held onto his forearms and stared right at him.

"I found you." He finally said.

"Took ya long enough!" She snorted.

Sweeney scowled, digging his fingers into her hips. "Took you long enough?" He snarled, pushing her up against the counter.

Mrs. Lovett looked startled by his change in attitude.

He leaned towards her, lowering his voice to a soft growl. "That was hardly long at all."

"We could play again." She suggested, her quivering hands began to creep up his arms to his chest.

"No."

"No?"

Sweeney put his face by her ear. "We're going to do something else." He purred, fingers slowly pulling up the fabric of her slip.

"Somethin'… else?" Her fingers began to gently tug at his suspenders. "Here?"

"We will no doubt be covered in flour, but that is little change for you." He brought his lips to her neck and nibbled at her skin.

She chewed at her bottom lip, in her kitchen? Not that she had much say in the matter, but she still felt it was within her rights to at least think against it. She wouldn't be thinking that for much longer though, not with his fingers brushing her thigh and his mouth on her neck. Her hands went up to his shoulders and pushed off the suspender straps.

Mrs. Lovett felt a moment of regret when his hands left her skin to fully disentangle himself from the clothing, and then he set to work on his belt.

Pulling herself close to him once more, she whispered in his ear. "Sweeney," she could feel his body freeze as she whispered his name. "Ye aren't wearin' a belt."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N A lot of people kept asking me why Sweeney wasn't wearing a belt, so here's you answer. I thought it would be funny. Honest, that's it. Also, I am rather.. hesitant about writing and posting the more intimate scenes between characters, so you lot are going to be using your imaginations. Think of it this way, they either had sex in the kitchen, or something involving gin prevented that from occuring. Last chapter here.. new story should be up next week. Don' forget to review, ya?

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6 

They lay on the shop's floor, listening to the scuttle of the few bugs too stubborn to die. There had been a grand clean up before her reopening, and most of the pests were gone. Nellie had informed Sweeney that she had been trying for weeks to get rid of those who remained.

"Need a respectable place for a respectable business."

He smiled at the ceiling, wondering what her definition of respectable was. "Then we shall have to stop by the apothecary pet, and get poison for them." Her grip on him seemed to tighten as he spoke, making him frown. "Are you cold?"

"Jus' a little."

Sweeney stood up, surprising Mrs. Lovett.

"Luv, wot'cho-"

He kneeled down and picked her up form the floor, holding her across his arms.

"Mr. T!" She gasped, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"To bed I think."

Nellie stayed quiet, watching Sweeney's face as he carried her to her room. His expression was unreadable, so she spent her time study other aspects of his face. There were many more lines present then there used to be, though she was glad to see for once those on his forehead were not noticeable. Without his brow drawn together, it took a great deal off his age. It also made him appear much gentler, without the dark thoughts circling his head

She brushed a hand against his cheek, causing him to finally look down at her.

"Here we are." He said, stopping by the edge of her bed.

"Oh, well-" Before she could protest he had set her down, and then moved to pick up her dress and put it over a chair. She gawked at him, holding herself up by her elbows. "Mr. T?"

Sweeney slowly came to a halt, eyes flickering between her and the door. "Aren't you tired?"

"Jus' a little." She continued to stare at him though he dropped his gaze.

"Good night then-

"Sweeney." She said firmly, causing him to stop. Nellie liked that when she spoke his name it caused him to pause. It meant something about her affected him, and she liked that. "Why don' you lie down luv?"

He stared at the other side of the bed, as if seriously deliberating her request. Generally when circumstance found him in her bed, he would leave unless he was too hung over to move, or she somehow got up before him, leaving him time think alone in bed.

"I'll get cold." Nellie found herself mumbling.

Something strange flickered across his eyes, though just for a moment. "Can't have that."


End file.
